Scientific reason why you are afraid of dolls

Why let creepy clowns get all the attention? From now until Halloween, Science of Us is investigating the psychology behind some of the most common fears.

In 2014, police in San Clemente, California, found themselves dealing with a very unusual kind of threat: Dolls were mysteriously appearing on the stoops of several different families, each one bearing a resemblance to a young girl who lived inside the house. The dolls were eventually traced back to a local woman who "intended it as a kind gesture" rather than any sign of malice, according to a police statement. Which is sweet, maybe, in a weird way. But to think that these dolls were a kind gesture is also to fundamentally miss an important point about dolls: It doesn't take much to make them spooky. There aren't any hard and fast statistics about the prevalence of pediophobia, or the fear of dolls, but just a quickglancearoundtheinternet will show that plenty of people wouldn't want to be left alone with one.

Part of it is circular logic: People find dolls creepy because there's plenty in pop culture about creepy dolls. Chucky from Child's Play. Annabelle from Annabelle.That episode of The Twilight Zone. This list of monstrosities, if you were in the market for something to haunt your dreams tonight. There's even a creepy Mexican tourist attraction called Isla de las Muñecas, or the Island of the Dolls, where travelers flock to see dilapidated old dolls strung up on trees to appease the spirit of a local girl who drowned; the man who originally spearheaded this strange decorating project, incidentally, has come to believe that the dolls are possessed.

And the narrative of the haunted doll certainly plays a role. But there's a reason dolls came to be a horror trope in the first place: They reside smack dab in the middle of the "uncanny valley," the space occupied by humanlike things that provoke a sense of unease in actual humans. The term, coined in 1970 by the Japanese robotics engineer Masahiro Mori, describes that uncomfortable middle ground between lifelike and clearly inanimate: not quite fully human, but not quite something else, either.

Pediophobia, is one branch on the larger tree of automatonophobia, or a fear of things that look like humans, like robots, wax figurines, statues. (For the record, pediophobia translates to "fear of little children," and is linguistically just a hop and a skip away from the word for fear of actual children: pedophobia.) And dolls, like rest of the automatonophobia gang, become more fearsome the more lifelike they appear; rag dolls don't evoke the same spookiness as a baby-size thing with real hair. As Linda Rodriguez McRobbie wrote in a history of creepy dolls for Smithsonianlast year, fear of dolls wasn't really a thing until the 19th century, when innovations in toy-making — like eyes that could open and close — meant more realistic-looking products.

And those products began messing with people's minds in all kinds of ways. "Our brains are designed to read faces for important information about intentions, emotions and potential threats; indeed, we're so primed to see faces and respond to them that we see them everywhere, in streaked windows and smears of Marmite, toast and banana peels," McRobbie wrote. (More neurotic people are also more likely to see faces in inanimate objects, which, some researchers argue, is because their brains are more attuned to potential threats.) "However much we know that a doll is (likely) not a threat, seeing a face that looks human but isn't unsettles our most basic human instincts." The fear of dolls, in other words, shares a lot with the fear of clowns: Both are reactions to ambiguous, slightly off versions of a normal face.

And if that doesn't sound eerie enough, you can always buy your own haunted doll on eBay.

See photos from a creepy doll story:

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Dolls make up over half of this Japanese town's population

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Dolls make up over half of this Japanese town's population

A general view shows the mountain village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Tsukimi Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT)
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Tsukimi Ayano sows an ear onto a scarecrow in her house in the mountain village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 28 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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Tsukimi Ayano carries a scarecrow to place it on the road leading into the mountain village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 8 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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Tsukimi Ayano arranges a scarecrow, which represents her father, in the mountain village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 9 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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A scarecrow is seen outside the house of Tsukimi Ayano in the mountain village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Tsukimi Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 25 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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A scarecrow sits in a field in the village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Tsukimi Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT)
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Scarecrows sit in front of a house in the mountain village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Tsukimi Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 13 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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Scarecrows representing former pupils and a teacher sit in a classroom in a closed down school in the village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Tsukimi Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 14 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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Tsukimi Ayano stands in a classroom with scarecrows at a closed down school in the village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) PICTURE 15 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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Tsukimi Ayano arranges a scarecrow at a bus stop in the mountain village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 12 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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Scarecrows hold fishing rods in the mountain village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Tsukimi Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 10 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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A woman pushes a wheelbarrow past scarecrows in the mountain village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Tsukimi Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 4 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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A scarecrow is arranged to look as if it is plowing a field in the village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Tsukimi Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 21 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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Tsukimi Ayano serves tea in her house in the village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 29 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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Tsukimi Ayano steps out of her house in the village of Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 24, 2015. Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) PICTURE 30 OF 32 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY 'THE VILLAGE OF THE SCARECROWS'
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Scarecrows are seen at sunset in Nagoro on Shikoku Island in southern Japan February 23, 2015. Tsukimi Ayano made her first scarecrow 13 years ago to frighten off birds pecking at seeds in her garden. The life-sized straw doll resembled her father, so she made more. Today, the tiny village of Nagoro in southern Japan is teeming with Ayano's hand-sewn creations, frozen in time for a tableau that captures the motions of everyday life. Nagoro, like many villages in Japan's countryside, has been hit hard by inhabitants flocking to cities for work and leaving mostly pensioners behind. Its greying community is a microcosm of Japan, whose population has been falling for a decade. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT)
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